Local authorities have set up a 400m security perimeter to allow experts to defuse the suspected 250kg device. Two schools within the perimeter will remain closed during the operation.
“We decided not to take any risks”, said Aachen Mayor Michael Ziemons.
The bomb was found at around 3.30pm on Wednesday, and clearance work is planned shortly afterwards. Residents who need to leave their homes will be given access to the business area of Tivoli, the football stadium of Alemannia Aachen. The defusing operation is expected to conclude in the early afternoon.
The last time a similar operation took place in Aachen was in February 2024, when 2,700 people were evacuated after a British World War II bomb was found on a construction site.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, authorities discovered and defused more than 1,600 unexploded bombs in 2024, a 40% increase compared with 2023. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the rise is linked to the higher number of construction projects across the state, during which the bombs are discovered.
